Because of Laverne's intolerances I don't feed foods with poultry or peas. So...I feed Fromm Salmon a la Veg for their kibble and top it with various canned foods. Some brands I use are Fromm, Weruva, TOTW, Wellness. They also do fine on TOTW Pacific Stream, but with it being a Diamond food I don't use it often.

I don't have a Service Dog, I have 2 Therapy Dogs and I need vests for them. The vests are required by the hospital we visit. Our current vests (harnesses) have come from Raspberry Fields and they look great! I decided to order new vests from Activedogs.com because another owner has them for their Therapy Dogs and I really like them. I havent' received them yet (just ordered them) and I can't wait. So...those are the only companies I've used and so far I've had good experiences.

I agree with Lessie when she said that you can educate without being nasty. But, I only educate when asked, or when I'm very close to the person and know all about their situation. I would classify myself as a dog/cat food snob who's being reformed a little recently. I still have "standards" that I won't compromise on (nothing from China, no artificial preservatives, no dyes....you get the picture), but I once thought I'd never feed a food lower than "4" stars lol. I'll admit to being very blessed, atm, and I have no budget for pet food/accessories. I have fed raw, freeze dried, canned, dehydrated, top-of-the-line everything BUT lately have realized that you really don't have to break the bank to feed your pets a good food and sometimes a lower rated food might just be the ticket. Here's the background that has led to my "reforming".....Laverne has mild allergies. She'll get loose stool, anal gland problems, eye tearing, mild paw/front leg licking. I realized I needed to use hypoallergenic foods. I started with Nature's Variety, which is rated a 5 star (did not work well), then Acana Singles, 4-5 star food (better, but not great). I finally decided to go with Natural Balance LID Fish....even though I boycotted them for using Diamond for some of their formulas and the rate around 3 stars (that dog food snob thing, again!). Things were great, at last! It got me to thinking that you don't always have to feed a 4-5 star food for it to work for your dog, especially one with some issues. Well, NB decided to merge with Del Monte, and my snobbery, if you will, is rearing its ugly head again. I just don't feel I can trust NB anymore, due to Del Monte using China ingredients for treats/food. So....I transitioned to Wellness Simple (worked okay, not great), then I went to Petsmart and got their Simply Nourish LID Salmon (not great, either). I finally decided the tomato pomace and/or carrots was causing problems. I bit the bullet and went to Tractor Supply and bought their new grain free fish (made by Ainsworth). So far, it's working! AND.....I'm saving sooo much money LOL.

I know this thread is kinda old, but I just wanted to add something. One poster said 4Health is made by Diamond. That is true for the grain inclusive line, but NOT the grain free line. Ainsworth makes it for TSC. Also, with the Natural Balance/Del Monte merger I've begun to use the grain free Fish in place of NB Swt. Pot & Fish. I tried others, like Wellness Simple Salmon & Pot. and Simply Nourish Salmon, but neither of those foods did as well as NB. They both contain tomato pomace and/or carrots which I believe aggravate one of my Cavalier's allergies. The 4Health grain free fish is working well, so far. The dogs all like it and eat it with no problem. My allergic Cavalier had problems with the shape of the Wellness kibble. I also like the price of the 4Health and their canned food is great! It may not be "top-of-the-line" but if it works, I'm in.

I second Allee Oops post.....I feel Natural Balance is a good food for sensiive stomachs. Especially their LID foods. Petco carries it. Some of the flavors also come in small breed size kibble. I like Merrick, and fed it for about 3 months, however I did have some issues with a small bag of Pork I bought earlier this year. It had some weird shaped kibble pieces in it. So I have stopped with Merrick, for now. I may use them some time in the future but Idk, yet. My crew is eating as their kibble Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish Small Breed. I do top with canned food of various flavors and brands, but they will eat the dry alone. Petco also has a food called Pinnacle that is good for sensitive stomachs. At Petsmart I would recommend Wellness Simple Solutions, Blue Basics grain free and Petsmart's house brand called Simply Nourish (it comes in a limited ingredient formula and also some new grain free formulas).

Tractor Supply has 4Health and they now have a grain free formula (not made by Diamond, made by Ainsworth) that looks decent and is a great price. Their 4Health canned is good, too, and is .99 cents a can. TOTW has decent canned food, too. Also, I noticed a new grain free food by Rachel Ray at WalMart that looks good (made by Ainsworth). I agree Whole Earth Farms, Earthborn, TOTW, Nutrisource, Fromm Classics are all decent looking foods for the money. There may be more, but these just came to mind.

Hi all! I just wanted to announce that Laverne passed her TDI test and is now a new TDI Therapy Dog! We are going to volunteer at a hospital, a local library, and possibly a nursing home and school (but don't want to overdo it). So excited to get started. I had a previous Therapy Dog, Stella (rip), and did it for 5 years with her. Laverne will be excellent at it, I'm sure.

Others are right in that a good food, within reason, is one that work well for your dog(s). I like Merrick for mine. They are doing well with the grain inclusive and also the grain free. Fromm is another one I like, as well as Nature's Variety. Hope this helps. Oh...Merrick and Nature's Variety can be bought at Petco, while Fromm is sometimes harder to find and is only available online or from independent pet food store.

Actually, it was my holistic vet that prescribed Metamucil. I have used it some, and it helped some. I have one Cavalier, Laverne, that has anal gland problems. The rest seem okay. I have heard that it can be an allergy thing. I did order a product that's fairly new, called Glandex. I've been using it and it seems fine. The dogs are on Fromm grain free (the Beef Frittat seems to work fine) and I also top with canned foods, like Fromm, Weruva, Wellness Stews and Simply Nourish. She's doing better now. Oh, and I've heard that pumpkin can help and also prunes....google natural treatment for anal gland issues.